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Packers' Jimmy Graham: Returns to drills

by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire

Graham (knee) returned to practice Sunday, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Graham has been tending to a knee injury for a brief spell, but the concern held him out of his first chance to make an in-game impact as a Packer. His next chance to do so arrives Thursday against the Steelers, assuming he's healthy.

Graham (knee) isn't in uniform for Thursday's preseason game against the Titans, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Graham didn't take the practice field Tuesday due to a minor knee injury, which presumably is the reason for his absence. Lance Kendricks and Marcedes Lewis will thus handle TE reps with the first-team offense, but less-experienced hands like Emanuel Byrd and Robert Tonyan are poised to receive the most run at the position Thursday. Graham's next chance to make his first impact as a Packer arrives next Thursday, Aug. 16 versus the Steelers.

Graham collided with a teammate during Monday's practice and presumably will be held out of Thursday's preseason game against the Titans. He should still have a chance to play before the end of the preseason, and he's already had quite a bit of time to build chemistry with Aaron Rodgers during training camp. Graham can be considered day-to-day.

Graham (undisclosed) was not spotted at practice Tuesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Per the report, Graham was slow to get up after getting tangled up with a teammate during Monday's practice. While the tight end completed that session, he's not out there Tuesday, quite possibly for precautionary reasons.

Graham believes he can replicate his production from his time with the Saints, noting that he's "still 6-[foot]-7 and can still run a 4.5 [40-yard dash]," Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Graham technically ran a 4.56 40 time while checking in at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, but there's little reason to doubt the broader idea that he's still one of the most athletic tight ends in the league. The Packers apparently believe that to be the case, as they signed the 31-year-old to a three-year, $30 million contract in mid-March, right around the time veteran wideout Jordy Nelson was released. Green Bay does have a way to get out of the deal after one season, as Graham's $11 million signing bonus is the only fully guaranteed portion of his contract, per OverTheCap.com. Graham was a bit of a disappointment in his three-year run with Seattle, struggling to make an impact near the goal line (eight scores in 27 games) his first two seasons, and then struggling outside the red zone (10 touchdowns, 5.3 yards per target) in 2017. Aaron Rodgers already has strong chemistry with Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, but it isn't unreasonable to think that Graham could push the latter for No. 2 status in Green Bay's passing attack.